Battle of Melitopol
Combat at Melitopol (Battle of)
Melitopol Offensive redirects here; for the operation of World War II, see here.
Combat at Melitopol (Battle of)
As a component of both the attack in southern Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022
Combat at Melitopol (Battle of) (February 2022).
Dates: February 25th through March 1st, 2022 (4 days)
Location Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine
Victory of Russia in this round
Belligerents Russia Ukraine
Commanding officers and group leaders
Unknown
Units that were a part of the Russian Armed Forces that were commanded by Vitaliy Nevinsky[1] (128th Mountain Assault Brigade commander)
The Armed Forces of the Ukraine
[1] 128th Mountain Assault Brigade (Mountaineering)
Casualties and losses have occurred.
Unknown
14+ injured
During Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, at least four civilians will be murdered and ten will be injured.
The military conflict known as the Battle of Melitopol took place in the city of Melitopol, which is located in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast of Ukraine. It was fought between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Russia. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 included this operation as a component of the southern Ukraine offensive. On February 25th, Russian forces launched an assault on the city, and on March 1st, after fierce combat, they were successful in taking control of the city. After the conflict was over, civilians took to the streets to demonstrate their opposition to the military occupation. The mayor of the city was taken into custody by Russian troops on March 11 for refusing to cooperate with them. He was eventually freed on March 16 in return for nine Russian soldiers who were prisoners of war.
Contents
1 Background \s2 Battle \s3 Aftermath \s4 References
Background
After the city of Zaporizhzhia, which serves as the regional capital, Melitopol is the second largest city in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. It is located on the Molochna River, which passes through the city on its way to the Molochnyi Lyman and then on to the Sea of Azov. The Molochnyi Lyman finally empties into the Sea of Azov. It is estimated that there are roughly 150 768 people living there [2].
The city is situated at the intersection of two important motorways in Europe, and it is also traversed by an electrified railway line that is significant on a global scale. Before the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, the city was known as "the gateway to the Crimea;" prior to that time, eighty percent of passenger trains heading to the peninsula passed through the city, and during the summer, the amount of traffic on the roads would reach up to 45,000 vehicles per day.
If Russian forces were able to take control of the city, they would be able to push onto Berdiansk and subsequently to Mariupol, which would create a land connection between the Crimean Peninsula and the Donetsk People's Republic.
Battle
According to reports, Russian forces invaded Melitopol about 10:30 on the 25th of February, 2022, in the midst of fierce fighting.
[3] According to Oleksandr Starukh, the governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, shells hit apartment buildings, and there was extensive street combat. Images of military equipment on Lomonosov Street emerged online, and civilians gave eyewitness stories of fighting in the street. Damage was done to individual residences in the neighborhood surrounding Pishchanska Street. [4]
In the later part of the morning, an armored assault took place, which led to a fire and left vehicle trails in the streets, in addition to burned-out automobiles.
[5] The local city council offices were reportedly shelled, and a screenshot of video footage showed tanks rolling onto the main thoroughfare of the city. This information comes from unofficial sources.
[6]
[7] During the conflict, it has been alleged that Russian forces opened fire on a hospital in the city, more especially an oncology center, resulting in the deaths of four persons and the injuries of ten more. [8]
Later on the 25th of February, reports indicate that the leadership of Melitopol surrendered to the Russian soldiers that were already invading the city.
[9] Locals have reported hearing volleys of bombardment and seeing tanks flying Russian flags roaming the streets of the city when Ukrainian forces later launched a counterattack on the city. [10] Russia stated on February 26 that it had taken control of the city,[11] despite the fact that James Heappey, the British Minister of Armed Forces, stated that it was still in the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian government. [12]
In the later hours of February 26, Russian forces took control of the city's administrative buildings and erected Russian flags on all of them. Starukh said that fighting was still going on in the city, and that there had been reports of firefights with the local defense troops. [13] [14][15] In addition, he stated that fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops had continued throughout the night, resulting in the wounding of 14 Ukrainian soldiers. Ivan Fedorov, who is the mayor, stated that there were disruptions to the utilities, and he confirmed that the neighborhood oncology clinic had been damaged. [16]
On February 27th, Russian troops shelled neighborhoods both inside and outside of the city. At approximately 5:00 a.m., residents of the city reported hearing gunfire in certain parts of the city. It was also reported that squads consisting of 150 people had been established to patrol the streets at night in order to "combat" widespread looting. [17] The next day, on February 28, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia Oblast announced that Russian airstrikes and shelling had damaged buildings housing an emergency rescue unit, as well as destroyed some equipment used for rescue operations. [18] During the course of the day, local self-defense forces were successful in retaking the city hall building. According to the mayor, Ivan Fedorov, Russian troops had destroyed a significant portion of the building when they had initially captured it. There were ongoing reports of widespread looting of retail stores. [19]
Following a brief lull in the fighting on March 1, Russian forces began making preparations to resume their assault on Melitopol and other cities in the region.
[20] After some time had passed, the mayor of Melitopol declared that the city had "not surrendered," but that Russian forces had successfully occupied the city. Fedorov also brought attention to the humanitarian crisis that was occurring in the city. He stated that residents were having trouble withdrawing money from banks, and he urged residents to ration their supplies because problems regarding the replenishment of stocks of gasoline, diesel fuel, gas, as well as food and medicines, had not been resolved. [21] An official from the Department of Defense of the United States also confirmed that Russian forces had successfully retaken control of Melitopol. [22]
Aftermath
The primary article on the Russian occupation of Melitopol and the Zaporizhzhia Oblast
Following the city's fall, Melitopol was occupied by Russian forces and became part of their territory.
[23] During the time that Russia occupied the city, there were a number of different protests.
On March 13th, the Melitopol City Council issued a statement in which they stated, "The occupying troops of the Russian Federation are trying to illegally create an occupation administration of the city of Melitopol."
[24] It made a request to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Iryna Venediktova, to initiate a pre-trial investigation into allegations of treason against Danilchenko and her party, the Opposition Bloc. [24] According to a report in Ukrayinska Pravda, the Russian military kidnapped Serhiy Priyma, the chairman of the District Council in Melitopol, and attempted to kidnap Roman Romanov, the secretary of the City Council. [25] At the same time, witnesses reported seeing Russian military vehicles equipped with loudspeakers making announcements to the effect that rallies and demonstrations had been banned and that a curfew would be in place from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. [26]
The Ukrainian government asserts that Russian forces are operating T-62 tanks in the Melitopol region.
[27]